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''For a comprehensive summary of the mechanics behind all rolls and modifiers, see [[Die Rolls]].'' | |||
'' | |||
[[Category:Gameplay Mechanics]] | |||
A '''Damage Roll''' happens when the game wants to determine the damage done by a successful attack, area of effect spell, trap, and so on. It can involve one or many dice of any type. This is not to be confused with the [[Attack Roll]], which is a D20 roll deciding whether the attack hits at all. | |||
For example, a successful attack with a [[Dagger]] leads to a D4 being rolled to determine the damage (referred to as 1d4) for a total damage of 1 to 4, and a successful attack with a [[Greatsword]] leads to two D6 being rolled (referred to as 2d6) for a total damage of 2 to 12. Being caught in a [[Fireball]] will cause 8d6 points of damage, though a successful [[Saving Throw]] can reduce it to half. | |||
=== | == Modifiers == | ||
For [[Weapons|Weapon]] attacks, the attacking creature's [[Ability Score Modifier]] for Strength or Dexterity is added as a bonus to the total value of the damage roll. For the damage of [[Spell]] attacks, no such modifier exists, unless explicitly granted by a magical item, spell, or class feature (such as the '''Agonising Blast''' [[Eldritch Invocation]] for [[Warlock]]s). | |||
The [[Proficiency Bonus]] and [[Advantage]] mechanics don't apply to Damage Rolls. | |||
== | === Ability Score Modifier === | ||
A bonus or penalty may be applied to the result of the roll based on either Strength or Dexterity. For rolls involving multiple dice, such as 2d4, the dice are rolled together, and the modifier is applied to the total result, not to each die. | |||
Whether Strength or Dexterity is used depends on the weapon: usually Strength for melee weapons and Dexterity for ranged weapons. The exceptions to this rule are [[Finesse]] weapons, which automatically select Strength or Dexterity, whichever score is higher; and [[Thrown]] weapons, which use Strength for both melee and ranged attacks. If a weapon is both Thrown and Finesse, it uses the higher of Strength and Dexterity for both melee and ranged attacks. | |||
Some examples, to make the possible combinations of Finesse and Thrown easier to understand: | |||
* Using a [[Maul]] for a melee attack always uses Strength. | |||
* Using a [[Rapier]] (Finesse) for a melee attack uses Strength or Dexterity; whichever the attacking creature has a higher score in. | |||
* Shooting a [[Longbow]] for a ranged attack always uses Dexterity. | |||
* Throwing a [[Handaxe]] (Thrown) for a ranged attack uses Strength. | |||
* Throwing a [[Dagger]] (Finesse & Thrown) for a ranged attack uses Strength or Dexterity, whichever is higher. | |||
Whether it's Strength or Dexterity that ends up being used, the following table defines the value of the modifier: | |||
{{AbilityScoreModifierTable}} | |||
== A bit of | == A bit of Mathematics == | ||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center | Note that due to the mathematics of dice rolls, the difference between, say, 1d8 and 2d4 is more than just the higher minimum value of 2 on the 2d4 roll. With the d8, you have an equal chance of getting, say, a 5 and an 8. On the other hand, the 2d4 roll is statistically more likely to lead to a total value of 5, than a total value of 8. This is most easily explained with a table of all possible outcomes: | ||
|+ Possible results of a 2d4 roll, highlighting the | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | |||
|+ Possible results of a 2d4 roll, highlighting the number of possibilities resulting in a total value of 5 | |||
|- | |- | ||
! | ! First roll !! Second roll !! Total value | ||
! | |||
|- | |- | ||
| 1 || 1 || 2 | |||
|- | |||
| 1 || 2 || 3 | |||
|- | |||
|- | | 1 || 3 || 4 | ||
|- | |||
| 1 || 4 || {{color|red|'''5'''}} | |||
| | |- | ||
| 2 || 1 || 3 | |||
|- | |||
| 2 || 2 || 4 | |||
|- | |||
| 2 || 3 || {{color|red|'''5'''}} | |||
|- | |||
| 2 || 4 || 6 | |||
|- | |||
| 3 || 1 || 4 | |||
|- | |||
| 3 || 2 || {{color|red|'''5'''}} | |||
|- | |||
| 3 || 3 || 6 | |||
|- | |||
| 3 || 4 || 7 | |||
|- | |||
| 4 || 1 || {{color|red|'''5'''}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
| 4 || 2 || 6 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| 4 || 3 || 7 | |||
| 4 || | |||
|- | |- | ||
| 4 || 4 || 8 | |||
| | |||
|} | |} | ||
Notice how often the 5 appears in the possibilities for the '''total value''' (4 out of 16 possibilities) vs. how often the 8 appears (1 out of 16). This means a 2d4 roll has a 25% chance of resulting in 5 points of damage, but only a 6.125% chance of resulting in 8 points of damage. Meanwhile, the 1d8 roll actually has a higher chance of resulting in the maximum damage value of 8, since 1 out of 8 possibilities (12.5%) result in an 8. | Notice how often the 5 appears in the possibilities for the '''total value''' (4 out of 16 possibilities) vs. how often the 8 appears (1 out of 16). This means a 2d4 roll has a 25% chance of resulting in 5 points of damage, but only a 6.125% chance of resulting in 8 points of damage. Meanwhile, the 1d8 roll actually has a higher chance of resulting in the maximum damage value of 8, since 1 out of 8 possibilities (12.5%) result in an 8. | ||